The Secrets We Keep
by AnAverageGirl15
Summary: G. Callen has a lot of secrets. This one, though, was his most important one. When a young girl is kidnapped, the team has to race against the clock to find her alive. Not only for her sake, but their team leader as well.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is my first venture into this fandom. Fell in love with the show and fell even harder for Callen. Love his back-story (or lack thereof) and all the mystery and secrets he has. I got this idea out of nowhere and I just needed to try it out. I'm trying to give each character justice and I hope that I do. My updates are not on a schedule. I write when I'm inspired. Life happens and that comes first. Let me know what you guys think.**

It's the secrets that one keeps, the ones that are held closest to the heart – these are the ones that affect the holders the most. They are the ones that can bring the strongest of men down to their knees. They drive people to do unthinkable things. Break rules they never thought they would. The price of a secret, what are you willing to pay for it? G. Callen was about to find out.

* * *

"Amanda, hurry up! We're going to be late."

Amanda rolled her eyes as she stuffed her book into her backpack. "I'm coming, dad!" Looking one last time in the mirror, adjusting her school uniform, Amanda headed out of her room and toward the kitchen as she told him, "And we're not going to be late. I still have enough time to eat some breakfast." Her dad was drinking his morning cup of coffee at the counter when she walked over to him, kissing him on the cheek. Snagging a piece of toast off his plate, she bit into it before saying, "You got home late last night. Finally caught a break?" Her dad looked up at her from the paper he was reading, raising an eyebrow at her question. Huffing slightly, Amanda relented, "I know, I know, no talking about work at home or, like, ever. Had to try though."

Her dad chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Finish your toast."

Sticking her tongue out, she started eating the rest of her toast as she stood next to her dad, reading bits and pieces of the newspaper with him. After a minute of silent reading, Amanda started back about his work. "It's just not fair, you know. My dad is like this super kickass," he raised his eyebrows at her wording, "cop and I can't even let my friends know. They all think you're some boring desk jockey that files paperwork all day. Heather does not stop talking about how her dad directs all these celebrities. This is L.A. – it's a cliché to know celebrities. And then Audrey goes on and on about how her dad writes all these bestsellers. I get it, her dad can write. The best though is Jessie. She does not know _when_ to stop talking about how her dad is some super secret agent for the CIA or FBI, and I know she's lying because well, if he was, then she would _not_ be talking about him. Then there I am, sitting there and I have to tell them that you work for some big unknown company, filing papers. Do you see my problem? My cool-factor is barely cutting it on just by what I can do. It doesn't help that I don't have a 'cool' dad to brag about, which I do, but I can't talk about it. You gotta give me something dad. Please?"

Her dad sighed as he took his plate and cup to the sink to wash. "Mandy, you remember what happened five years ago, right?" Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned against the counter and nodded. "That happened because of my past work. If you knew what I did, a lot of people would try to use you for that information. I don't tell you things just to keep what I do safe. I don't tell you things because I want to keep you safe." He walked over to her and gently gripped her shoulders as he told her, "You are the most important thing in my life. I will do anything to keep you safe. Do you understand?" Amanda nodded again before he tugged her into a hug. "Come on, it's time to get you to school."

The drive was quiet as Amanda looked out the window at all the passing trees and people. Looking at the clock she saw that it was only 7:30. Her dad pulled up to the entrance of her private school as he told her, "I should be home on time tonight. But…"

She finished for him, "Stay with Michelle until you check in. I will. I'll text you when she comes to pick me up." Leaning over the console, she kissed his cheek. "Bye. Love you."

He watched her grab her backpack and step out of the car. "Love you too." As she slammed the door shut, he called out to her, "Mandy." Amanda turned around and looked at him through his window. "Let them know that you were born in Russia." A wide smiled spread across her face before she nodded and ran the rest of the way up the steps. He waited until the doors closed behind her before he started his drive in to work.

* * *

Callen leaned back in his chair as he listened to Deeks and Kensi banter. It was good to have Kensi back with them. Deeks wasn't moping around anymore and the status quo was back to normal. Looking at Sam, Callen shook his head before looking back down at his final bit of paperwork. Signing his name on it, he was just about to head to drop it off to Hetty, when the woman appeared between their desks. "Mr. Callen, a word, please. The rest of you, up to ops. We have a case."

Sam, Deeks, and Kensi looked at Callen, asking him what was going on. He shrugged before following Hetty to her office. He could hear Sam tell Eric that they already knew they had a case as Hetty stood behind her desk. Callen placed his paperwork on her desk as he told her, "Now Hetty, if this is about my paperwork. It's all there."

She took in a deep breath before shaking her head. "Unfortunately this is not about your paperwork, Mr. Callen. I received a call just moments ago. There appears to have been a shooting and kidnapping at Beckford Academy." Callen didn't hear anything else Hetty said after that. He gripped the chair in front of him as his knees grew weak. It couldn't be true. Shaking his head, Callen heard Hetty finish, "I'm sorry, Callen. We are going to do everything to catch these men." Callen didn't wait to be dismissed as he ran up the stairs to ops.

* * *

Sam, Kensi, and Deeks gathered around Nell and Eric, as they briefed them on their new case. Nell began, "This morning at 1100, there was a shooting at Beckford Academy." She started to play a blurry video of two girls walking on the sidewalk right outside the school. A black van pulled up and fired two shots, hitting one of the girls, before a man stepped out and forcefully took the other girl into the van before it sped off. "The victim shot is Teresa Adams, age 14. She is a freshman at the private school. She is in surgery right now. Her condition is critical, but they have high hopes." Nell zoomed in on the kidnapped girl's blurry face and pulled up her information, "The student that was kidnapped is Amanda Ryan, age 14. She is also a freshman at Beckford Academy."

Sam stepped forward as he looked at the screen, not believing his eyes. He started to shake his head as Kensi asked, "Amanda put up a good fight. Why do we have this case? Does one of her parents have any connections anywhere?"

Eric and Nell looked at each other before turning back to the team. "As far as we can tell, no. We're not sure why we were given it. Hetty is the one that gave it to us."

Just then Callen entered the room and told Eric gruffly, "Play the video."

Sam turned around and tried to block the screen from him as he said, "G, you don't want to see this."

Callen pushed Sam out of his way as he told him, "Get out of my way Sam." And then he saw the clip. He watched the clip as Amanda used the moves he had taught her, jabbing the kidnapper in the stomach, trying to twist her way out of his grasp. Even stomping her heel into the kidnapper's foot. Callen watched as the kidnapper dragged her into the van before it sped off screen. "Play it again."

Sam came up to him then and spoke softly, "G, don't do this."

Callen ignored him though as he watched the clip play again. While he watched, Deeks continued to look at Amanda's photo. "I don't know why, but she looks familiar." When they heard Callen tell Eric to play the clip again, Kensi and Deeks looked at him worriedly, not understanding why it was affecting him so much.

Nell looked at Eric, who shook his head, before she looked back at the team. "We ran the plates and found that the van used was stolen three days ago. We have Kaleidoscope running a search for the van as we speak. It might take a while though, if they're still moving." Just then Eric's computer beeped, alerting him to new information.

Sitting down, he slid over to his computer and announced, "We have a hit. The van was seen going into an abandoned warehouse ten minutes ago. And no one has come in or out of it since."

Callen started to head out of the room as he shouted, "Text me that address."

Kensi and Deeks looked at Sam in confusion before Kensi asked, "What the hell just happened?"

Sam shook his head before he hurried after his partner. Hetty entered the ops center as Sam left, looking at the rest of the team. "Mr. Deeks and Miss Blye, I want you to go to the scene and see if you can get anything from the witnesses. Mr. Beale, I need you to trace that van. Find out where it came from and if it made any stops on the way to that warehouse." When no one made any move to get to their assignments, Hetty said loudly, "Now! A young girl's life is in our hands."


	2. Chapter 2

Amanda heard the screeching tires behind her before two gunshots went off. She screamed in horror and fear as she watched Teresa fall down before it turned to pure terror as she felt two strong arms wrap around her. Putting to use what she learned from her uncle and her dad, Amanda jabbed her elbow into her attackers stomach before slamming her foot down and her head back before she twisted her body, trying to get out of his hold. It was to no avail though, as the man dragged her into the open van. The door was slid shut by another man as the driver sped off.

Amanda felt tape being wrapped around her wrists and ankles as she screamed for help. Tape was slapped onto her mouth, effectively silencing her cries. Crying silently she watched as the two men in the back with her turned away from her and started speaking to each other in what sounded like Russian. Cursing her luck for taking French in school instead of Russian like her dad told her to. Amanda tried to get out of her restraints as she looked around the van for any weapon. That's when her eyes landed on the gun sticking out of the back of one of her kidnappers' pants. Slowly sliding toward them, she hoped that she could get to the gun before she was caught.

She was just a few feet from the man when they noticed that she had moved. Taking her only chance, Amanda lunged forward. She felt the coolness of the gun on her fingers before wrapping her hand around it. The kidnapper yelled at her, before pushing her away, not realizing she had the gun. Amanda didn't give them any time to find out that she had the gun before she aimed and fired two rounds. She heard a third gunshot and braced herself for the hit before darkness took over her.

* * *

Sam looked at Callen for the fifth time as he drove to the warehouse. The car ride had been silent since they left and Sam knew exactly what Callen was thinking. "G, we'll find her. I promise you. We'll find her."

Callen only shook his head as he looked out the window, trying to rein in his emotions. He had to keep a leveled head, for Amanda. Sam pulled into the parking lot just then, effectively ending any conversation that could have taken place. Callen was the first one out of the car, gun drawn as he swept the area for any threats. He heard Sam fall behind him, covering his back, as he made his way into the warehouse.

The van was parked in the middle of the warehouse, looking abandoned. Checking for any sign of danger around him, Callen hurriedly made his way to it. He cleared the front seats first as Sam went to open the back door. Hearing Sam curse softly, Callen wrenched open the side door and braced himself for the worst. Nothing could prepare him for what he saw though.

Blood was pooled on the floor of the van, but nobody was in it. Feeling like his heart was being ripped from his chest, Callen took a stumbling step back as he started to shake his head. Sam rushed over to him and told him, "G, we don't know if it's hers or not." Pulling out his cell phone, he called Eric. "Yeah, Eric, I need a team over here to process the van. It's abandoned and there's blood."

Callen staggered over to the front of the van and leaned against it for support as Sam ended the call. He closed his eyes as he tried to stop the world from spinning around him, that's when he felt Sam's hand land on his shoulder. "G they're sending a team. We'll find out whose blood that is. You gotta stay positive. I'm going to check the rest of the warehouse, you good?" Callen could only nod as Sam went off to check for any signs of where the kidnappers could possibly have gone.

He didn't know how many minutes passed by before Sam came running back into the warehouse toward Callen. "I found something. Tire tracks. Looks like a semi's tires, which means that she's still alive G." CSU pulled into the warehouse lot then, pulling the agents attention toward them. Sam quickly directed them to the scene and Callen watched numbly as tape was put up, finally declaring it a crime scene.

For him it seemed like time was speeding by but going so slow at the same time. The only thing he wanted was Amanda, in his arms. He had to get her back. Cops and technicians swarmed the area, trying to preserve the scene as much as possible. Sam came up to Callen then, startling the man from his haze. "G?"

Callen looked up at him and gasped out slightly, "I can't lose her, Sam."

Sam grasped his shoulder as he said, "You won't. We'll get her back." He looked back at the van where a tech was waiting for him before he turned back to Callen. "I need to know her blood type. What's Amanda's blood type?"

"O positive. She's O positive." Callen watched as Sam nodded before he headed back to the technician. He saw the man lean down and take a swab of the blood before rubbing it on a piece of paper. He looked back up at Sam and told him something before Sam started to head back to Callen. "What is it? Just tell me."

Sam smiled in relief as he said, "It's A negative. It's not hers." Callen took in the first deep breath since he saw the blood. He smiled at Sam as his phone rang. Looking down at the caller id, he answered, "Hetty, what did you find?"

"Mr. Callen, you'll want to go to the boathouse. We have a lead."

* * *

Kensi and Deeks were heading back to ops from the school when Eric called them. "Guys, I found something. It looks like our kidnappers are minus a team member. They dropped someone off at St. Joseph's Hospital. He was checked in for a gunshot to the leg. Running facial rec as I speak. I'll send you anything I find."

Kensi nodded as she changed directions. "Okay Eric. Any news from Sam or Callen?"

Hetty came on the line then as she told them, "It appears that they found the abandoned van in the warehouse with blood in it. We're hoping it all belongs to this man. Miss Blye, I want you to bring him to the boathouse, no exceptions."

Kensi looked at Deeks who shrugged his shoulders. "Okay Hetty. I'll let you know when we're heading there." She hung up before looking at Deeks. "What the hell is going on? First Callen, now Hetty. This girl is connected to someone important if Hetty's acting like this."

Deeks nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I still can't put my finger on it, but Amanda looks familiar. I just don't know where I've seen her before."

Kensi told him, "Well, I'm sure we're about to find out."

* * *

Callen and Sam walked into the boathouse to find that Kensi and Deeks were trying to interrogate the suspect. Nell and Eric appeared on the screen with Hetty in the background, as Nell told them, "They just started talking with him. But he asked for his lawyer immediately and hasn't said a word since."

Callen glared at the screen as Sam asked, "What's his name?"

Eric pulled up a picture and said, "His name is Dmitri Kierka. Known gun for hire. Although for the last few years he's been pretty silent. We're looking into his known associates now."

Callen watched as Kensi and Deeks continued to try and get the man to talk. Shaking his head, he took out his gun and badge, leaving them on the table before he started to head toward the room. Hetty stopped him though as she called out his name. Looking back, Hetty told him, "Tread lightly Mr. Callen. When emotions are high, they can cloud your judgment."

Gritting his teeth he nodded once before looking at Sam, a silent conversation going between them before he turned back and headed into the interrogation room. Opening the room, he looked at Dmitri only as he told Kensi and Deeks, "Out."

Kensi and Deeks looked at each other before standing up and walking passed Callen as they left the room. Hurrying to watch on the screen, they saw Sam watching it intently as Dmitri spoke to Callen, "I already told the other two agents; I'm not saying anything until I get my lawyer."

Callen closed the door soundly before he turned around and said coolly, "That's fine, because right now, I'm not an agent."

Dmitri looked at Callen confused, "What are you talking about?"

Callen moved forward, rounding on the table before he leaned in, one hand on the table and the other on the back of Dmitri's chair, before he told him, "Right now, I'm just a father whose daughter has been kidnapped. And you, Dmitri, are the one thing standing in my way of getting my little girl back. And I will do whatever needs to be done to get her back. So tell me, where did they take her?"

Kensi and Deeks looked to Sam, who was watching the screen intently as Dmitri stuttered out that he didn't know anything. Deeks was the first one to shake off the shock before he asked, "Did you know this, Sam?"

Sam nodded once, still watching as Callen stepped away from Dmitri, anger emanating off of Callen. Everything started to fall into place for Kensi and Deeks when they heard Callen yell as he slammed his hands on the table, "Where did they take her?"

Dmitri shook his head with panic filled eyes, "I don't know. I don't. I swear."

Callen stepped back from the table, appearing to have a calm settle over him as he looked at the camera. Sam started to shake his head, whispering, "Don't do it, G." They watched Callen walk up to the camera before the feed was cut off, followed quickly by the sound. Sam swore underneath his breath as Kensi and Deeks looked at Sam, asking him what to do silently. That's when they heard the first scream, followed quickly by another set of screams and Callen yelling at Dmitri in Russian with Dmitri answering back quickly.

Kensi heard Dmitri start screaming again and asked, "Are we going to do anything? He can't do this Sam, this isn't who we are."

Sam listened as Dmitri started speaking again, a pleading tone to his Russian words, before he looked at Kensi and Deeks. "This never happened. Do you hear me?"

Kensi was about to protest again, but Deeks placed his hand on her arm and nodded at Sam. "We never heard anything." The screaming stopped almost abruptly, leaving them in deafening silence. A few seconds later Callen walked out of the room, his jaw clenched and his nostrils flaring. He looked at all three of his teammates as he called Eric, "I need you to set up roadblocks across Interstate 5 and 8. Stop any semi-trucks and have them searched. They're moving her close to the border."

Hetty came on the line and told him, "Mr. Callen, you're about to get a visitor." Callen turned around as the door opened and Assistant Direct Granger walked in.

He looked around the room before he looked at the screen. Granger looked at Callen then and told him, "Agent Callen, I'm officially taking you off this case."


End file.
